Left: Henry Centrella in a town photo from the early 1990s. Right: Department…

October 11, 2013|By DAVID OWENS, dowens@courant.com, The Hartford Courant

WINSTED — For decades, Winsted's selectmen have bickered, town residents have voted down budget after budget, and town managers have come and gone almost as frequently as the seasons.

But there was one person in Winsted government whom all sides trusted and looked to for guidance. Henry L. Centrella Jr. always had a solution to the fiscal calamity of the day.

"He was the soothing emollient, regardless of which political party was in control," said John Forrest, a former Winsted mayor now retired and living in Florida.

Centrella's word was good as gold, Forrest added. "Basically, the town depended on Henry."

Today, Centrella, 58, is an inmate at the New Haven jail, with bail set at $100,000. Winsted's auditors, Blum Shapiro, and state police say Centrella stole more than $2 million from the town over five years. He is charged in an arrest warrant with five counts of first-degree larceny.

Winsted's money problems have become so bad the town may have to close its schools in December, although officials are working to avoid that.

Centrella was a Winsted native, a trusted friend and colleague, a pillar of the community. Learning that he was accused of plundering town coffers was bad enough for residents, but another shock came when they learned that Centrella had allegedly been leading a double life with a mistress in Florida.

'High Roller'

Centrella met his paramour during his frequent visits to the Mohegan Sun casino, where he flashed cash and was known as a high roller, according to a warrant for Centrella's arrest.

The woman told state police that she became romantically involved with Centrella in 2008. In 2009, she became engaged to Centrella after he told her that his divorce was over, which she interpreted as being finalized.

Centrella proposed, gave her an engagement ring and convinced her to quit her job and move to Florida so she could live with her parents and spend time with them. He also promised to pay for her to go back to school, according to the warrant, and began giving her $1,000 a month for living expenses.

The woman told police that Centrella would occasionally visit her in Florida and asked her to be patient as he wrapped up his affairs in Connecticut.

In 2009, the couple began looking for a home for them and a three-bedroom condo for Centrella's sons, she told police. The houses they looked at ranged from $700,000 to $1 million.

Centrella got his money by selling 88 acres of land to Disney and because he'd done well on Google stock, he told her.

"He spared no expense and liked how people looked at him when he said he would pay in cash," the woman said, adding that the amount of cash Centrella carried made her nervous.

Plans for an October 2009 wedding were well underway. "Centrella prepaid for the custom wedding dress, the flowers, a DJ, the dining hall and airfare for all of her family and friends with cash," the warrant reads.

But the wedding was postponed when Centrella had a health emergency, she said. The woman said Centrella told her that he had prostate cancer but insisted she not visit him in Connecticut while he was treated.

"Because the money spent for the wedding was non-refundable, Centrella decided to hold a large 'Gala' for her family and friends" and all were flown to Florida for the event in February 2010, according to the warrant.

The woman said Centrella told her he planned to be in Florida permanently by Thanksgiving 2012 and that he would be retiring from his job.

Eventually, she became suspicious. In December 2012, she flew to Connecticut, went to Centrella's house, confronted him and learned he was still married and living with his wife and family. She ended their engagement, according to the warrant.

Centrella tried to salvage their relationship, she told police, but she refused. She described Centrella as "a brilliant liar."

By that point, Centrella's life in Winsted was unraveling. Auditors months earlier began asking hard questions and, according to the warrant, Centrella was stalling.

"When the pressure was on Henry to get the documents the auditor needed, Henry said, 'You know what, all the money will be there, OK?'" Town Manager Dale Martin said. "We thought, 'OK, what does that mean?'"

An unusual account called "change line item" and a missing $54,000 had drawn the auditors' attention. Then over three weeks in late September and early October 2012, Centrella deposited $54,000 into the town's accounts, Martin said.

That prompted the auditors to ask for a meeting with Martin and Town Attorney Kevin Nelligan, where they expressed concern about their findings so far and recommended a deeper look at the town's books, with a special focus on how cash was handled.

Centrella tried to retire in September 2012. Instead, Martin suspended him in November, and the auditors dug deeper and deeper.

"It was then that they fully discovered the full extent of what he had been doing," Martin said. "It started small then pretty much went nuclear."